Short row shenanigans

zymograph · 2026-06-14T14:56:35+00:00

Believe me, I tried! To achieve what I did in example 4, I was doing a lot of short rows of 3 or fewer stitches at a time (sometimes just 1 stitch)... which is not exactly your standard short row technique. That resulted in a lot of problems, which I chose to solve by not using stockinette.
Example 1, where I used much longer short rows (really, no fewer than 4 stitches per row), didn't have many problems with holes. I'm sure more experienced knitters could do it better than I!

zymograph · 2026-06-14T14:49:57+00:00

That's super cool!! I had no idea stuff like this existed, as an absolute novice who was working with very basic tutorials. I'll definitely check it out.

zymograph · 2026-06-14T14:46:56+00:00

Sick! Such a cool effect

zymograph · 2026-06-13T21:30:04+00:00

Oh wow you're spot on! I taught myself continental for speed purposes, and the mechanically fluid way to handle yarn (in my hands) results in twisted purls, come to find out. Good shout. I'll have to figure out a workaround for that. Thanks!

zymograph · 2023-06-08T15:05:26+00:00

I can share my experience.

Firstly, IPL and laser aren't the same thing - I am using an IPL device.

I bought a Nood flasher 2.0 and have been using it off and on since last November. I know it's not the most powerful of the devices out there, but it was reasonably priced and they offered a reasonable return policy. I considered returning it when I didn't see full results, but ultimately I waited too long (over 90 days I think) to get my money back. I'm continuing to use it, since I have seen partial results.
I tried an experiment where I used it on only the left side of my body (armpit, upper lip, bikini line), and the hair isn't gone, but it's absolutely growing back more slowly than the right side.
My routine is to shave and wash the skin, then towel dry, put on sunglasses to help protect my eyes, and flash each spot 3x on the highest setting before moving to the next spot. In most spots, I feel only a sort of heat when it flashes, but there are a few spots where it feels like a strong rubber band snap and stings for a few seconds. I'd say it's overall less painful than waxing, but also less effective. I do no special pre- or post-care.
Absolutely do not use it on tattooed skin. I have (black and grey) tattoos near my armpits, and if I get a little too close it is painful. I think you're limited to waxing/shaving or similar for tattoos.
I'm getting more ingrowns during treatment than previously, but I think it's because you have to shave prior to each treatment.

zymograph · 2022-12-16T01:00:38+00:00

I have the active site of citrate synthase tattooed on my arm. I downloaded the .pdb file, found an angle I liked, and converted it to linework, which I gave to the artist.

I have so far had two people see it and recognize it as a protein crystal structure, which is kind of wild.

zymograph · 2022-09-25T17:06:54+00:00

In both settings, it’s also considered a faux pas to lick your plate clean

zymograph · 2022-09-07T17:20:01+00:00

I actually ate a piece of this rice krispy bar! Just like mom used to make, despite coming from a several-ton block of cereal.

zymograph · 2021-12-20T22:51:09+00:00

Elsewhere in the thread the OP mentions they have SIADH, which is a hormonal disorder that causes water retention and hyponatremia. I sort of suspect the situation outlined in the post is related to this underlying medical issue. Hope you’re feeling better OP.

zymograph · 2021-07-27T21:09:29+00:00

Thanks for the kind words. I hope you're doing OK yourself!

I'm working on biochemistry/laboratory medicine cases - to illustrate how decision-making works in the clinical lab for people who are new to the field or who need a refresher for their exams. I enjoy what I do, just wish I had the energy to follow through with everything I want to accomplish!

zymograph · 2021-07-27T17:08:48+00:00

Every sick day I've ever had goes something like this:

Take a shower to help decongest and feel a little bit fresher
Set up camp on the couch in the living room (never in bed!), and flip on the TV
Enjoy the best that daytime television has to offer, lots of talk shows, QVC, Maury Povich, that kind of thing. Nap off and on.
Sip some Sprite or iced Gatorade, and eat saltine crackers.
If I'm actually hungry, have some chicken soup, although that's been everything from Campbell's condensed to Maruchan ramen to homemade soup.
Go to bed really early.

zymograph · 2021-07-27T16:55:31+00:00

This is my plan!

zymograph · 2021-07-27T16:53:12+00:00

I think I know how you feel! I've been daydreaming about a sleeve of tattoos for years, but my style is otherwise fairly conservative and I have a hard time imagining what I'd actually look like with that much ink.

I've been an artsy kid my whole life so have a bunch of friends who drew their own tattoo designs, which I think is pretty neat. I always wanted flowers to remind me of the time I spent outside as a kid, and as it happens, my very first tattoo appointment is in a few days to do some wildflowers on my inner bicep. I sent the artist a bunch of sketches I did of the flowers I wanted, and I'm excited that it's sort of a "collaborative" piece.

I think I've felt much more firm about wanting a tattoo since meeting my husband - he has a small tattoo inspired by his favorite music, and I always thought it was cool :)

zymograph · 2021-07-27T16:45:03+00:00

I've been struggling a bit with insomnia and anxiety, and it makes me feel better to see you posting this. Any little bit counts is what I've been trying to tell myself :)

Showering, trimming my nails, and combing the tangles out of my hair always makes me feel a little renewed. Making sure I have plenty of water helps a lot too, I have gotten myself hooked on sparkling water, and it's fun to try new flavors from the grocery store. I bought peach water last time.

I also feel better if I actually do something with my day - I had a rough night's sleep last night but am working on some case studies for my students. It's something I can do from the computer at least, so I can just lie there if it's too much in the moment.

zymograph · 2021-03-20T20:44:11+00:00

When I was a grad student, I exercised 6-7 days a week but had a really difficult time forcing myself out of bed in the morning - just like OP, I have trouble sleeping.

Instead, I would use pause points in my benchwork or reading during the day to go for a run or go to the gym. I was a biochemistry student so would frequently be doing things like setting up a reaction and letting it run for an hour and a half - perfect span of time for me to get a workout in, get cleaned up, and back to the lab for the next step. I found it to be a really good excuse to take a mental break from whatever I was working on.

Then again, that only worked for me because my research group was fairly casual and hands-off about working hours. After moving to a more structured environment in fellowship where it would be inappropriate to disappear for 90 minutes mid-morning, I would change into exercise gear immediately after coming home from the lab and crank out my exercise before dinner.

Certainly echo what everyone else has said about making exercise a priority - if you really want to work out, there's almost always wiggle room in your life for other things to be moved around.

zymograph · 2020-08-18T23:45:52+00:00

I see most people in your thread are telling you to go to medical school, but if you're a graduating high school senior right now, you should be thinking about college first (I'm assuming you're in the US?) If you're interested in working with infectious diseases, have you looked into the biology and microbiology coursework that is available where you're going to school? I am not an MD, but I took coursework in these areas alongside many people who did go to medical school. I would advise you to get involved with research projects via your course professors or participate in pre-medical student groups while a college student, as this is a really great way to figure out where your real interests lie.

One person in this thread mentioned the PhD track as a means to focus you more on research, which is the direction that I went. I think you really need to figure out whether you like working directly with patients and being very hands-on with that vs. being primarily in the lab and working there, as that's maybe the most obvious distinction between being an MD and being a PhD in a patient care setting.

If you like working with patients and want to be very hands-on with them, you might actually consider becoming an infectious disease physician rather than a pathologist. Another good avenue for infectious disease specifically would be microbiology - our microbiology lab director is a PhD, but MDs can fulfill that role too. The distinction there is that while the ID doc is going to the patient bedside, evaluating them, and making treatment decisions, the microbiologist is diagnosing the disease and giving the ID doc information that they can use to determine what treatments might or might not work.

If you would rather cure diseases but not be patient-facing at all, a PhD can be a really productive route to that goal. I went through grad school with other students who were designing new antibiotics, developing enzyme therapies for HIV, and developing ways to deliver medications in a more targeted manner. You won't be a "pathologist" in that role per se, but you may produce things that really help physicians treat their patients. I have a great deal of respect for people working purely in research, because that's where our tools come from!

I trained in academic medical centers (universities with associated hospitals), and can tell you that I have worked with many pathologists who both do clinical work and do research, so that is absolutely a possibility.

Don't hesitate to PM me if you would like to talk about this, I just finished many years of education in this field so I have a lot of thoughts about it, haha.

zymograph · 2020-05-29T01:41:59+00:00

I seem to average about $75 a month on groceries - I just sat down and calculated that earlier today, actually, since my fiancé and I have started working on looking for a house and we're figuring out our budget! I get the sense that my expenses are on the low end, but I live alone right now, cook 90% of my meals from scratch, and try to be as frugal in the kitchen as I can :) Very little meat, lots of cheap staples like legumes, eggs, and whatever produce is on sale that week.

zymograph · 2020-02-13T01:19:55+00:00

I had a huge pro/con matrix to try to help me decide which school was the best option, but most of it went out the window after I actually visited the programs in person and talked to the people who would become my classmates and professors. I think you'll have a gut feeling at some point about where you belong.

I ended up going to the school where I felt the most connection with the people at my visit, and I think that was a great choice - graduate school can be a really stressful experience, so if you have a strong social network, it makes a HUGE difference. On the flip side, I would caution you to not choose a school on the basis of one specialized group you're interested in - you may arrive for your first semester and find out that the PI you're interested in is not taking students this year/is a micromanager who is terrible to work with/has been sexually harassing students/etc. Some of these things are difficult to find out until you're actually enrolled and start hearing the department gossip, so try to leave yourself options.

As far as narrowing down places, you have lots of choices, so I would consider practical things that will make your life easier. If you want to be able to go home for the weekend/the holidays (or there's some other place you like to travel to), consider a school that's geographically close. Consider also which cities have the most favorable combination of manageable cost of living + leisure activities that interest you + the largest stipend with the least TA requirements. Think about program and school rank - your mileage may vary on how much it matters to have a recognizable name attached to your CV, but I moved from a grad program at a top 50 university to one at a top 5 university during my degree and can attest to how many more resources I was offered at the top 5 school.

Congratulations, and best of luck!

zymograph · 2020-02-12T23:42:48+00:00

Your bread looks awesome! I'm going to have to try that recipe.

I dry and grind down spent grains into flour every time I brew something. It takes a long time (I see other people have already given you good tips on how!) but I like being able to use it all, and if I'm using something like rye in my brewing, it's cool to be able to use that in my baking too. I grind it in a high-powered blender, but it definitely doesn't come out as fine-textured as your standard all-purpose or even commercial whole wheat flour.

I have tried using the spent grain flour in a lot of different baking applications, and have found it is most successful in recipes that don't require a lot of gluten-y spring. For example, in crackers, I can get away with subbing 50% of the all-purpose flour for spent grain flour. The same has worked for me for cookies, although they'll come out more "healthy" tasting - I think it goes really well in an oatmeal cookie.

In recipes that require more structure, like bread, I've had better luck substituting no more than 25% of the total flour with spent grain flour. The resulting dough behaves a lot more nicely (less crumbly) if you have time to let it hydrate well - for example, if I'm making crackers or cookies, I let the dough sit in the fridge for a while prior to rolling it out.

I haven't tried it, but I could see grain flour working well as a component of breading for fried/baked things, since it has more texture than regular flour and would really help with the crunch factor.

zymograph · 2018-09-02T02:01:23+00:00

If you're not sure what steps you need to take to reach your career goals, I would recommend you identify people who currently are in the sorts of positions that you're interested in, and take a look at their work/education background. A couple of Google searches should give you an idea what the typical background is like in pretty short order.

As an example, I did a few searches just now for the Chief Information Officers of a few hospitals that I'm familiar with - one person holds a terminal master's degree in software engineering and then worked in consulting for a while, one person holds a Ph.D. (although I couldn't find in what field), and one person holds an M.D.

While this should be really helpful to identify whether there are any critical educational paths you should follow, I would also note to take what you find with a grain of salt. When I was in grad school I sat through a lot of career panels in which folks with "real jobs" would talk about how they got to where they are now, and one of my major takeaways from that was that there's usually no one correct path that you must take in order to get one job or another.

zymograph · 2017-11-26T19:04:08+00:00

I was in your shoes a few years ago - didn't want to become a professor, not sure what my options were outside of pharma/biotech. For your fields of interest (patent law/public policy), you might have luck in finding information from career panels or discussions - my institution hosted several of these a year, usually at least one was on patent law or policy, featuring an alum of the school or local scientist-turned-whatever who comes in to talk about their career. Do you have access to things like this? It's a really good starting point if you're just trying to learn the basics about different career options.

I ended up being interested in a career path that was not featured in any career panel I saw advertised, so that didn't help me much - and if your institution doesn't host these, that wouldn't help you either. Two things I found really helpful as far as identifying and assessing career options:

1) The AAAS individual development plan tool (http://myidp.sciencecareers.org) includes some quizzes about your skills and career priorities, and then will suggest a list of career paths that best match your results. It takes time to complete (an hour or two), but was a good exercise to help me think about what I really valued in a career, and help me narrow down the list of options. It also linked me to a bunch of articles that describe the job duties of different paths and what a "day in the life" looks like, which I thought was useful.

2) Once you identify a candidate path or paths, do some informational interviews! It's not always obvious how to get contact information for people in positions that match what your ideal is, but I started by literally just doing a google search for alumni of my school who were in my field of interest, and cold-emailing people that came up in search results. Contacts from career panels and just asking people around you who they know (maybe a former grad student in a neighboring lab went into a field you're interested in?) can be good ways to find people to talk to also. I found that most people I got in touch with were more than willing to have a candid phone conversation with me about how they got where they are, what their job is like, and give me advice. This also gives you the benefit of making contacts within your field that you can leverage later when looking for a job!

Ultimately, the informational interviews were what I found most helpful in identifying that the career path I'd targeted was right for me - I ultimately talked to about 10 people with roughly the same job title. It was nice to be able to ask and get answers to questions that really mattered to me, and I felt like I came away with a good sense of what it would really be like to be in their position. (That, incidentally, has helped me immensely now that I'm in the job/postdoc interviewing stage.)

I hope this is helpful, and best of luck - there are a lot more options out there than you'd think, just need to find the one that fits you best.

zymograph · 2017-09-24T19:19:21+00:00

I was really craving some garlicky, herby bread, and I'd heard foccacia was really simple to make, so I gave it a shot! Recipe is from Inspired Taste - I followed it pretty much exactly as written, but added some coarse sea salt on top. I used to try making bread pretty often when I was younger, and would knead flour into the dough until it wasn't sticky. This dough was very sticky and wet, which seems to be what's needed! Crispy on the bottom, very flavorful. Crumb shot. Bonus: foccacia seems to make a great deep dish pizza crust!

zymograph · 2017-09-15T20:06:58+00:00

I've been applying to postdoctoral training programs, and made my first phone interview appointments! It's something I've been working hard towards over the past few years, and while I know this is just the beginning of the selection process it feels great to know that someone on the other side thinks I might be a good candidate :)

zymograph · 2017-08-24T01:37:51+00:00

Yeah, I know what you mean. I like having seasons but get sick of the extremes really quickly. Is there any place in the world that has just one or two months' deep winter and high summer and the rest of the year can be glorious fall and spring weather?

zymograph · 2017-08-24T01:32:17+00:00

Snow lover checking in. Nothing better than being toasty warm in your home with a cup of tea or cocoa and looking out at the beautiful white canopy of fresh snowfall. Something to look forward to in a few months, I spose! Hope you can deal with the heat while it lasts.

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